Firefighters who had entered a blazing Newkirk Road house to save
what they thought was a girl inside were ordered out — moments
before oxygen tanks inside the house exploded.

The firefighters had been with a crew working to save a man who was
trapped in a car that had hit a tree when a neighbor reported the fire
at about 9:30 p.m. Friday, said Belfair Fire District 2 Chief Mike
Greene.

Soon after the first call, the family who lived at the house
returned from Christmas shopping. Family members called to report that
the house was ablaze and that their daughter was inside.

Three firefighters went to the home on Newkirk Road, about
three-fourths of a mile off the Old Belfair Highway. When they arrived,
the house was engulfed in flames.

The girl's father was frantic, pointing to a room in the house
and saying his daughter was inside.

Capt. Beau Bakken, the incident commander, decided to send
firefighters inside. He asked the father if there was any other place
his daughter could be.

The father recalled that his daughter might be at a friend's
home. He then called and discovered she was there.

At the same time, Bakken noticed that the home's condition was
deteriorating.

Bakken told the firefighters to leave the house. Soon after, the
oxygen tanks blew up in an explosion that could be heard for miles.

"He made excellent split-second decisions that risked the lives of
his firefighters and saved the lives of his firefighters," Greene
said.

The fire spread throughout the house as additional firefighters from
districts 3, 5 and 6 arrived.

One firefighter, who was helping to prevent the fire's spread
to nearby houses, broke his leg when he stepped into a hole on the back
porch.

No other injuries were reported.

The house was a total loss. The Mason County fire marshal's
office is investigating the cause of the fire.

The car wreck victim in the initial incident was freed and taken to
Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton. He was in critical
condition,Greene said.

The family that lived at the burned home was provided with a hotel
room and food, courtesy of a community fund.